I didn't really want to sit there, but since the party wouldn't start until I did, I resigned myself to my fate and took my place in the throne-like chair. The situation felt familiar, but this particular chair was on an entirely different level of luxury compared to the one from my last birthday.
More than that, the comfort was surreal. It was soft and plush, yet it offered perfect support. The sitting experience was nothing short of exquisite.
"Now then, since our guest of honor has arrived, let's officially kick off Kaito-san's birthday party! As with last time, the MC duties will be handled by myself and Fate-san!"
"Shaltan, this is a bad sign. We did this last time, and if we do it again now, it's going to become a tradition. That means we'll be stuck doing it every single time, right? Personally, I find it way too much work, but since Shallow Vernal-sama is here, I can't exactly slack off... I mean, Kuro-san helped out a bit last time, but now it's just us from the get-go."
"Well, you'll just have to deal with it. Chemistry-wise, you and I make for the smoothest team. Besides, Kuro-san has the vital role of punching any idiot gods who decide to go out of control..."
"...Hmph. Well, it is Kai-chan's birthday, so I guess I have no choice. But I'm allowed at least a little perk for my effort, right? Kai-chaaan! It's me! Happy birthday!"
"Oh, taking the initiative, are we? Well, I suppose a head start like that can count as a hosting fee."
It seemed Alice and Fate-san were indeed the designated MCs. Before I knew it, they had settled into a newly appeared commentary booth and were engaging in a comedy-skit-like exchange through an amplification magic tool.
I remembered Alice saying earlier that the birthday wishes would happen during the gift-giving, but Fate-san had claimed her "hosting fee" by shouting her congratulations early while waving at me. I gave her a wry smile and waved back.
"Anyway, even with that said, the heart of this event is the party itself," Alice continued. "The main focus is for everyone to eat, drink, and mingle. Of course, we’ve also prepared some special entertainment."
"But what about the presents?" Fate-san asked. "There are way more people here than last time. How are we going to handle it?"
"We'll be handling that sequentially as the party moves along. As Fate-san mentioned, there are too many guests this time around. If we set aside a specific time for gifts and made everyone line up, it would take forever. It's not like everyone needs to watch every single present being handed over, so we’ll just have guests come up one by one while the party continues."
"I see, I see. And how do we pick the order?"
Alice and Fate-san’s back-and-forth made the general flow easy to understand. Essentially, the guests would enjoy the festivities while I received gifts in sequence. Then, when it was time for the entertainment, everyone would shift their focus... I think that was the plan.
"As for the order, we’ll have Kaito-san do a drawing," Alice explained. "I'll set up a lottery machine right next to him. He just has to spin it, and guests will come up based on the order the balls come out. No one can complain if Kaito-san is the one doing the draw, and with his luck, the order will probably turn out quite interesting."
"That makes sense. But wait, wouldn't that mean Kai-chan has to stay in that spot the whole time? He won't be able to get any food or anything, right?"
"He can eat and drink during the breaks. Kaito-san gets to decide the interval between receiving a gift and doing the next draw. As for the catering... well, let's leave that to our Maid Representative, Ein-san. She'll bring him whatever he needs, whenever he wants it."
If I was the one spinning the machine and guests came to me, I could indeed take short breaks whenever I liked. It seemed like a solid plan.
Furthermore, having Ein-san serve food and drinks meant I wouldn't have to leave my seat. Back during the barbecue, her service had been impeccable. I was sure she would provide exactly what I needed at the perfect moment... though I did wonder if Ein-san was actually okay with this.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I heard the sound of clapping. I turned to see Ein-san applauding.
"As expected of the leader of the world's largest faction. This division of labor—placing the right individuals in the roles they were born for—is nothing short of magnificent. Yes, Kaito-sama, please leave everything regarding your service to me, your humble maid."
"She looks blatantly happy about this," Alice commented. "She was forbidden from helping during the shipboard party, so she probably had a lot of pent-up frustration. Well, we'll leave it in your hands then."
Apparently, it wasn't a problem at all; in fact, Ein-san looked overjoyed. That was certainly a relief for me.
"All right, let's have Kaito-san lead the opening toast shortly... but before that, let's give the machine its first spin to decide who gets to present the first gift. Whoever is picked should head over to Kaito-san once the toast is finished."
"Oh, okay—Whoa!? Ah, I just spin this, right?"
The moment I nodded, a table and a lottery machine appeared right beside me. I gave the handle a turn. A single ball popped out and immediately vanished, replaced by text manifesting in the air.
Shallow Vernal
So that’s how the names were displayed. And the first one up was Shiro-san... Wow, she looked incredibly smug. After glancing toward Kuro and Machina-san, she made a set of gold-shining Doyaaa text appear behind her.
Kuro looked completely exasperated, but the display seemed to hit Machina-san hard—she was currently wearing a strained, twitchy smile.
Serious-senpai: "Ah, I suspect Shiro was drawn first because, unlike the other lovers, she’s the one who would most obviously be thrilled about being 'number one.' Look at her... she’s really milking it."